The peoples projects

[stewart clifford]

Your using Futaba, it'll be fine, any doubt just put the aerials up the side of the cockpit.

[Chris Lane]

Appreciate your replies guys. I will visit a local offset printer on Monday to try for some used litho plate for the rather complicated canopy structure. Whilst I'm there I will see if they can make a reversed copy of the left wing plan for me otherwise I will assemble the left wing and then go for your veg oil fix to assemble the right wing. . . .

The canopy structure is proving awkward due to the softness of the K & S brass tube and its 305mm lengths. Just about each part has to have an extra bit silver soldered on to get the required length. These parts then have to be silver soldered together. Fortunately silver solder is available in different melting points so I use the highest for the first joint and then step down for the next.

On the "2.4gHz inside aluminium paint" worry I assume that "aluminium" paint is actually metallic. There were lots of warnings about maintaining line-of-sight for the signal when we were converting from 35mHz to 2.4gHz so I don't want to fall into a trap of my own making!

Chris

[James Stewart]

Just while you are on the topic of line of site Chris. I have heard or read of people losing signal for a very small moment because their engine (large metal presence) was between the pilot and the receiver or another lump of metal such as the exhaust or something else metallic. I tried to conduct and experiment with a couple of my planes to see if there was any loss in connection or any erratic behaviour which would point to a problem but with an aircraft flying towards me or at odd angles I havn't seen any loss of connectivity. This is on receivers that have one or two aerials aswell (Optima 6, 7 & 9). Even on the ground at the length of the club field there is no loss. Have others experienced problems or is this maybe down to wrongly diagnosed problems after a crash or episode?

[Phil Clark]

Chris

I have several sizes of K&S brass tube in the workshop (ordered excess by mistake) in 36" lengths. Would avoid your need for tricky silver soldering, so drop me a call/e-mail and let me know what size if this would of use for you.

Phil (Fighteraces)

[Chris Lane]

Many thanks Phil, the tubing arrived this morning OK. Chris

[Bob Thompson1894]

Just while you are on the topic of line of site Chris. I have heard or read of people losing signal for a very small moment because their engine (large metal presence) was between the pilot and the receiver or another lump of metal such as the exhaust or something else metallic. I tried to conduct and experiment with a couple of my planes to see if there was any loss in connection or any erratic behaviour which would point to a problem but with an aircraft flying towards me or at odd angles I havn't seen any loss of connectivity. This is on receivers that have one or two aerials aswell (Optima 6, 7 & 9). Even on the ground at the length of the club field there is no loss. Have others experienced problems or is this maybe down to wrongly diagnosed problems after a crash or episode?

I had this problem on 35mhz PCM with a model locking out when it was coming towards me (oops...) the aerial was pointing straight back. Putting a 90' bend in it 3" from the end cured the problem. This is, I suppose, why the whiskers on 2.4 are angled away from each other.

[frank fearn]

Slow progress on the Tiffie but we are getting there...... landing gear in and functional so now just a case of the gear doors ......some models seem to take forever and this is one of them..

[Chris Lane]

This model is progressing quietly at present and was not held up by today's roof repairs! Phil's coming to the rescue with some 36" lengths of K&S brass tubing has allowed a remake of the sliding canopy frame. I just have to form the 4 grab handles to allow completion of the silver soldering. Slide channels have been slotted using a 3/32" end mill and the channels in a vice on the vertical slide attached to the lathe cross slide. These have been attached to the fuselage with gap filling ZAP. Meantime tail details have been progressed with the rudder bearings installed and the rear fuselage block made up ready for shaping. The next job here is to make a scale sprung and damped tail wheel assembly.

[Gregg Veasey]

My current project is a Ziroli Bearcat which which was going well until the paint supplier gave us 1 part of a 2 pack paint but didn't tell us!!!! The whole model was sprayed then it all had to come off again! That was a while ago and its now back in colour again and waiting for some lettering to go on! The pic is of it once the paint was removed!

Well after various problems during the build my Bananacat has finally flown and thankfully it landed too!!!

Here is the link to vid which was taken by a club member on his phone so the quality isn't great..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drr-Wks3XRQ

[frank fearn]

A little more progress...Panel lined up and primed, cannon fairings custom made with fiberglass... Discarded electronic cigarettes casings for the cannons themselves which maybe unscrewed for transport / storage .Need to add what seems like a million and one rivets...

[dave tilbury]

F86 sabre.......nearly finished...EDF...

[Steve Rickett 2333]

Oooh, Bare metal Jets.....snap!

Just a coat of clear and pop all the bits back inside and it'll be ready to go!

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[dave tilbury]

m_P1070144.jpg (64.91 KiB) Viewed 13113 times

that looks really great Steve......how you done the panels with paint?

[Steve Rickett 2333]

Hi Dave, it's covered in Flitemetal, each panel then being masked off and abraded with different grades of sandpaper rubbed in different directions. It's my first attempt with this product but I'm pleased with the results.

[Chris Lane]

An update on my Dave Womersley 1/4 scale Chipmunk.

Fuselage skinning is complete and now being faired ready for glassing. A tail wheel assembly has been made and fitted. The model uses a steerable wheel unlike the full size as both are pigs to keep straight when taxiing in a crosswind. A separate steering servo has been provided. Tail parts are completed and will be nylon covered shortly allowing painting the various hidden bits prior to permanently attaching the elevators and rudder.

I have taken the advice of Club members and gone for two separate radio channels. The rudder, elevators, and flaps have two servos each and drive mechanical mixers. One of each pair of servos is on one channel and the other on the alternate. The ailerons have a single servo each side but on the alternate channels.

The two Futaba 2.4GHz FASST receivers are mounted in the cockpit coaming between the two seats. This brings their aerials above the fuselage aluminium paint line and into the matt black area within the canopy transparency. The various leads run conveniently down the back of the front seat and into the underfloor space.

With a carburettor bend from Phil Clark fitted I have shoe-horned a Zenoah 38 into the slim cowling profile. I intend to modify the standard exhaust to plumb it to a second expansion chamber on the right side of the engine and thence to the scale exhaust pipe outlet. I have been unable to find a spinner close enough to the scale outline so I am about to machine the profile I want from the block of Chemiwood which Phil sent me.

Also in hand is the structural test specimen of the centre-section wing spar box which will be loaded to 6G plus some. If it proves OK I can get on with the wing parts. Dave Womersley may have a car which will take a 2.6m one piece wing but I haven't. . . . . .

But now the flying season. . . . .
After glassing and spar box proving the model will be put in the loft to avoid distraction. There will be plenty to do on the wet or windy days on bits until the next building season.

Chris Lane

[Aaron norman]

Finally after moving house building a new workshop I've managed to spend some time on the la7 5 months down the line . Riveted the top of the wing only the bottom to go then finaly paint

[Gregg Veasey]

I added a few pics of this troublesome cat at the beginning of this thread. I'm pleased/releaved to have finally finished it and these pics are from its first public outing at the Blackbushe show last weekend

[stewart clifford]

Bananacat looked really good blasting round Rougham this weekend, ideal assembly ship.

[ian redshaw]

Here's a couple of pics of my Flying Flea, one of two that have been built from original copies of Mignet's 1935 book on how to build a Flying Flea. They are both built to 1/2 scale, both powered by the good old Zenoah 62. Both weigh in around 19kg. Both were test flown before the final details were added, mine wasn't even painted before the test flights, that confident I wasn't!! Now flight proven, it has been painted and looks to compete for the most ridiculous colour scheme, perhaps the LMA should bring back the old 'novelty slot'!!

Ian.

[david clarke]

What an unusual scheme Ian,will you be flying it at Weston Park at the weekend ?.

Dave.